Towie Barclay Castle

Towie Barclay Castle is an historic castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 4.5 miles south-south-east of Turriff. The current structure was built in 1593 by Clan Barclay. The site was gifted to the Clan in the 11th century by Malcolm III of Scotland. Following Clan Barclay's pillage of a nunnery in the 12th century, Thomas the Rhymer proclaimed: "Towie Barclay of the Glen/Happy to the maids/But never to the men.", which was interpreted as a curse on the male line. Belief in the curse was strong enough that it was given as a reason for the sale of Towie Barclay Castle in 1755. The building was sold to the governors of Robert Gordon's hospital in Aberdeen for £21,000. Despite a reroofing project in 1874, Towie Barclay Castle had fallen into a state of neglect by the mid-20th century.

The castle was bought in the 1970s by the American musician Marc Ellington and his wife, Karen. A programme of restoration was funded by Marc Ellington's music career while his wife project-managed the extensive restorative work on the building, which took over 7 years to complete. The restoration project was of a sufficiently high standard to win a Saltire Society Award in 1973. As of 2008, the castle remains in the ownership of the Ellington Family.

In addition to owning Towie Barclay, the Ellingtons are also Lairds of Gardenstown and Crovie.